THE VALUE OF HERNIOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF UNEXPLAINED GROIN PAIN

Herniographies were performed on 106 outpatients with obscure groin pa in. A total of 39 hernias were found in 38 patients (36 %), and the 46 patients either operated on (40 patients) or who had undergone laparo scopy (six patients), included one false positive case and two false n egative ones. All three false cases were inpatients who had earlier un dergone surgery for inguinal hernia. 27 % of the patients with a norma l clinical finding (19/70), 67 % of those with previous inguinal herni otomy (8/12) and 50 % of those with symptoms suggestive of hernia (12/ 24) had diagnostic findings on herniography. Thirteen out of the 48 wo men (27 %) and 25 of the 58 men (43 %) had positive finding at herniog raphy. The valve of herniography was that 56 patients were spared subs equent surgical exploration because of normal herniographic finding. O ur results indicate that herniography is a useful tool for the examina tion of patients with unexplained groin pain.